Give Shakespeare a fair shake

Editorial/commentary

Posted 1 month ago

To attend Shakespeare in Wind-Del Park or not to attend — that is the question. Whether 'tis nobler to stay home and watch reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond or to chance being exposed to an occasionally confusing Shakespearean realm?

This decision may weigh heavily on some local families concerning the upcoming staging of Twelfth Night in Windham Centre. Driftwood Theatre Group, of Toronto, will unravel the Shakespearean comedy of mistaken identity "in the round" — the velodrome at Windham Centre. Last year, Driftwood's Bard's Bus Tour stopped for the first time locally, performing King Lear at the Delhi arena.

The mandate of Driftwood Theatre is to bring professional theatre to communities without regular access to it. It recruits cast and crew willing to travel for much of their summer. It builds sets that are able to fit into community centres, velodromes and even parking lots, all in an effort to make professional theatre accessible. The group, however, also has to contend with an intangible barrier to accessibility — stereotypes surrounding Shakespearean works.

Most adults can recall teachers' warnings before starting a study of Shakespearean work. The language will be foreign, the locations will be foreign, even the characters' names will be foreign, teachers warned. There will be a lot that simply won't be understood.

These warnings, however, often did more harm than good. Generations have now grown up believing that Shakespeare is simply 'too difficult' to enjoy. They equate King Lear and Twelfth Night to 'highbrow' literature to only be studied in the ivory towers of universities.

This misconception can be credited to the education system, said Jeremy Smith, artistic director of Driftwood Theatre. In fact, he finds that the most engaged audience members are children — the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed population that can simply enjoy the physicality of Shakespearean characters. They aren't fretting over understanding every single word but simply appreciate the overall arch of the story.

This perception of Bard's 'highbrow' works is rather ironic considering Shakespeare's intentions. He wished to explore common themes in stories geared towards the general public. Comedy, tragedy, romance and greed are all explored in his writings. These themes remain cornerstones in modern literature, films and television — even Everybody Loves Raymond.

Shakespeare's works have stood the test of time due to their very universality. Driftwood Theatre is only tasked to retell these classic stories, Smith says. Some may suggest that Driftwood, however, has another more challenging task.

Like fellow theatre champions of Shakespeare, Driftwood must overturn stereotypes of the Bard — those intangible barriers of accessibility. Theatre groups can stage Shakespearean productions, but unless this misconception is torn down, these plays will be only attended by a handful of theatre buffs.

Both Driftwood and the Windham and District Optimist Club have been encouraging families to attend the upcoming production of Twelfth Night. The public should heed this advice and enjoy the Bard's twisted take on comedy. Shakespeare would doth not protest too much.